Chapter 292: The Sea of Learning is Boundless! The Mountain of Books Has a Path! Ferocious God Qin Feng's Illustrious Name

Chapter 292: The Sea of Learning is Boundless! The Mountain of Books has a Path! The Fierce God Qin Feng’s Name Shakes the Holy Academy!

"I could ask for nothing more!"

A flicker of genuine warmth crossed Qin Feng’s eyes. He nodded slightly toward the mysterious Daoist he had once encountered in the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, his tone carrying a perfectly measured respect: "Master Sanruo, please lead the way."

"After you."

Master Sanruo returned the gesture with a graceful, elegant bow. With a flick of his robes, he stepped forward, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Qin Feng, willingly assuming the role of a guide.

The two moved in tandem, unhurriedly exiting the magnificent hall that housed the cluster of spatial teleportation arrays.

The moment they stepped beyond the threshold, an indescribable aura of vastness and solemnity washed over them.

Unlike the iron-blooded, murderous atmosphere of the frontier fortresses in the Thunder Universe City, the air here was saturated with a weight born of endless ages, a piety toward the pursuit of knowledge, and the majestic destiny of the human race passed down through the generations.

Qin Feng’s gaze was deeply captivated by the scene before him.

They were not standing on the solid earth of a planet, but upon a colossal divine continent suspended in the void of the cosmos.

The ground beneath their feet was paved with a strange, dark-blue metal, seamless and inscribed with profound spiritual runes, as if the entire continent were an unimaginably vast, ancient artifact.

Looking up, one did not see familiar stars, suns, or moons, but a magnificent firmament constructed from countless ribbons of light and nebulae. A brilliant galactic belt—the "Heavenly Abyss"—stretched across the entire horizon, as if cleaving the universe in two, hanging silently while radiating an eternal, ancient brilliance.

Countless figures traversed streets as wide as plazas.

Qin Feng’s "Primordial Singularity" Dao foundation and pure black spiritual power granted him perception far beyond his peers. He could clearly "see" that here, Black Hole-level cultivation was practically a "standard" for those walking the streets. Those whose auras were as deep as the abyss, causing passersby to bow and glance in awe, were undeniably Domain Lord-level powerhouses.

In just a few moments, he sensed several fleeting auras—so powerful they made his heart tremble—belonging to Marquis or even King-level experts.

This was the absolute core of the human race in the Myriad Races Battlefield—the first half of the Cosmic Sea—the hub of power, the lighthouse of civilization: the Holy Academy Headquarters.

"Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, as you are a newcomer, allow me to briefly introduce the layout of this place."

Master Sanruo’s voice rang out at the right moment. He pointed toward the distant sky, toward the most magnificent cluster of giant divine palaces, which seemed forged from countless stars and radiated supreme majesty.

"That is the core of the Holy Academy, what we usually call the 'Main Academy'."

His tone held a trace of reverence. "It is not only the highest administrative center for all human war zones in the Holy Academy Sea, but also the supreme military command headquarters.

All major military operations against the myriad races, resource allocation, and high-level meetings take place within.

Those who reside there permanently are, at the very least, King-level powerhouses. There are even Emperor-level, Saint-level, and legendary Universe Lords stationed within, collectively deliberating and deciding the future trajectory of our human race."

Qin Feng looked in the direction he pointed. Even from such a vast distance, he could feel the terrifying power contained within that palace complex, like a dormant cosmic beast that, once awakened, could shake the entire Cosmic Sea.

"Surrounding the Main Academy are five floating continents, slightly smaller in scale but equally majestic and magnificent. These are the 'Five Great Academies' of our human race."

Master Sanruo shifted his focus, pointing to the five positions surrounding the Main Academy. "These five can be understood as the highest-level military academies of our race, and the cradles of genius.

They screen the most gifted and promising prodigies from the countless cosmic nations, major battle groups, and hidden families within the Holy Academy Sea territory, providing them with systematic, elite training.

Each academy has its own unique heritage and specialization; they cooperate, yet compete fiercely.

Countless powerhouses who now shake the universe were once students who emerged from these Five Great Academies."

Qin Feng nodded silently, a clear understanding forming in his mind.

It was a pyramid structure: the Main Academy at the apex, and the Five Great Academies acting as the core pillars connecting the top to the bottom.

"And what lies further out?" Qin Feng asked.

"Further out is this vast region where we currently stand."

Master Sanruo smiled, gesturing to the countless smaller floating continents and cosmic cities scattered like stars in the Heavenly Abyss galactic belt. "This is the foundation of the Holy Academy Headquarters, and the home where the human race thrives in the Cosmic Sea.

Countless cosmic cities form massive residential and reserve zones, where innumerable human beings live, study, and work.

The children among them enter various schools for education in an orderly fashion. Once they reach adulthood, the outstanding ones are selected to enter the Five Great Academies for advanced study, or they join the major legions directly, contributing their strength to the defense of human territory."

Qin Feng’s gaze swept across the distance. Those cosmic cities were brightly lit, like man-made stars, filled with the breath of life.

He made a rough mental calculation; the number of human beings contained within this Heavenly Abyss galactic belt alone was likely equivalent to the combined population of all planets under several standard battle groups.

A thought suddenly dawned on him, overturning his long-held perceptions.

"In that case..."

Qin Feng murmured, his voice tinged with shock. "Within the territory of the Human Empire, the population is already too numerous to count.

And here, in the Holy Academy Sea stage, the humans gathered at the headquarters alone, added to those scattered across billions of war zones, likely rival the total population of the Human Empire’s heartland."

This discovery shook him to his core.

He had always believed the Myriad Races Battlefield was a bloody frontline far from the heart of civilization, a meat grinder where a few elites fought against alien races.

But now, it seemed the Holy Academy Sea was, for the human race, more like a "New World" or a "Second Territory"—a place not yet fully conquered but deeply rooted and flourishing—rather than a purely battlefield.

The human race was not passively defending; they were, with an incredibly aggressive stance, carving out their own space for survival and a future in this crisis-ridden Cosmic Sea.

"Precisely so."

Master Sanruo seemed to see through Qin Feng’s thoughts, stroking his beard with a smile. "The universe is far greater than one can imagine. Our race stands tall among the myriad races precisely because of this unceasing, pioneering, and tenacious vitality.

Enough theory. Let me take you to see the true wonders of the Holy Academy Headquarters."

As he spoke, Master Sanruo led Qin Feng, flying in a specific direction.

In the Holy Academy Headquarters, space was modified by great powers, and ordinary spatial travel was prohibited, yet the flight speed of the experts remained astonishingly fast.

A moment later, a strange forest radiating seven-colored light appeared at the edge of their vision.

Before they even drew near, a refreshing fragrance and a peaceful Dao aura drifted toward them, soothing even Qin Feng’s heart, which had been tempered a thousand times over until it was as firm as rock.

His pure black spiritual power began to stir involuntarily, as if resonating with some higher-level intelligent life.

They landed on a massive Bodhi leaf, which was itself the size of a small island.

Looking around, the entire forest was composed of towering trees. Their trunks were a primitive white-gold, while their leaves shimmered in seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—glowing with auspicious light.

Each Bodhi tree radiated an ancient and majestic life force, as if they were not plants, but slumbering sages.

"This is the 'Seven-Colored Bodhi Forest'."

Master Sanruo’s tone was filled with longing and respect. "Every seven-colored Bodhi tree here has grown for at least several billion years, and some have survived even longer.

Look at those tallest ones; they are bathed in the Dao aura of the Holy Academy year-round and are constantly cultivating themselves. Their level of attainment has already reached the Marquis or King level; they are beings of great wisdom."

Qin Feng’s heart stirred. He could feel that the life form of these ancient trees was unlike anything he had ever known; they seemed closely connected to some fundamental law of this universe.

"They have a symbiotic contract with our human race," Master Sanruo continued. "In the distant past, they were treasures coveted by all races, constantly facing the danger of being forcibly harvested and refined.

It was the great powers of our race who intervened, saved them from peril, and carved out this pure land for them, protecting them from the myriad races with the destiny of the entire human race.

In return, they are willing to provide the human race with enhancements to insight.

Any powerhouse who has made great contributions to the race has the opportunity to enter this place to meditate. Under the shroud of their Dao aura, one's speed of thought and ability to comprehend are greatly enhanced."

"Occasionally, one of the elders among them will bestow one or two 'Seven-Colored Bodhi Seeds'—the condensation of their life essence, precious beyond measure.

So many years have passed, and as far as I know, there are only a dozen or so seeds recorded in history.

Every powerhouse who possesses one today is a pillar of the human race, and they are few and far between."

Having said this, Master Sanruo looked at Qin Feng with deep meaning, his eyes filled with an unconcealable envy.

He had seen it with his own eyes in the recorded footage from the Forbidden Land of Blood: Qin Feng, through a stroke of serendipity in the Sea of Blood Origins, had obtained a seed of the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree.

That was equivalent to carrying with him a supreme treasure, one capable of constant growth and the permanent enhancement of one’s enlightenment—a value that could never be measured in mere contribution points.

Qin Feng understood the implication. Subconsciously, he sensed the seed resting silently in his subspace storage unit, emitting a faint, iridescent glow, and a question arose in his mind: "Master, the seed I obtained... will the Bodhi Tree clan here reclaim it?"

"That they will not."

Master Sanruo chuckled at the question, shaking his head. "Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, you worry too much.

The Seven-Colored Bodhi clan values causality and karmic affinity above all else.

That you were able to obtain the seed is your own fortune, a testament to the bond you share with their kind.

Far from reclaiming it, they will likely feel a natural sense of kinship toward you because of it.

For our human race, this is a most auspicious development."

"I see."

Only then did Qin Feng set his mind at ease, feeling a newfound reverence for these ancient, wise beings.

The two did not linger long; after soaking in the serene Daoist aura of the Bodhi forest, they continued on their way.

The next destination was a vast, magnificent expanse that left even Qin Feng breathless.

They arrived at a colossal plain suspended beneath the starry sky, yet this plain was not composed of rock or soil, but of countless stone steles of varying sizes and forms.

These steles stood in dense, endless ranks, stretching to the very horizon—a number far exceeding billions, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, impossible to count.

Each stele radiated a unique aura and Daoist rhyme: some sharp as blades, with sword intent piercing the heavens; others heavy as mountains, as if bearing the weight of an entire star system; some shifting and unpredictable, drawing the observer into endless illusions; others still, brimming with the profound mysteries of creation and destruction.

Innumerable humans sat before these steles, some lost in silent contemplation, others practicing secret arts. Each was immersed in their own world. Despite the multitude, the forest of steles remained eerily quiet, save for the silent collision of wills.

"This place is the 'Stele Forest of Enlightenment'."

Master Sanruo’s voice was low and resonant, filled with pride. "This can be considered the very essence of the Holy Academy’s headquarters, the treasure vault of our human civilization.

It contains not only the legacy arts distilled from the life’s work of our countless sages, but also the precious techniques plundered from myriad alien races after our warriors slaughtered their prodigies and extinguished their civilizations over the long ages.

The legacies here are vast and inexhaustible, covering nearly every known field of cultivation in the universe—whether it be combat and slaughter, alchemy and artifact forging, or formations and puppet creation, everything is here."

Qin Feng’s gaze swept across the boundless forest of steles, his heart struck by an unprecedented impact.

If the Seven-Colored Bodhi Forest represented "Enlightenment," then this place represented "Method."

This was an ocean of knowledge, a fountainhead of power.

What did his path of the "Limit" require most? It was precisely this—a vast sea of knowledge!

He would gather the strengths of a hundred schools, extract the essence of ten thousand methods, discard the dross, and refine it all for his own use, all to temper his flesh and soul and break through his limits.

The forest of steles before him was nothing less than a supreme treasure vault with its doors flung wide.

He could already imagine himself deriving a secret method for tempering the body from a technique of artifact forging, or deducing a way to reinforce the structure of his soul from the principles of a formation.

Ten thousand methods returning to one; in the end, all would become the fuel for his assault on the "Limit."

"With your current clearance, you may come here to meditate at any time. Let us move to the next location."

Seeing the fiery intensity in Qin Feng’s eyes, Master Sanruo said with a smile.

They set off once more, and soon, a golden tower that reached from the heavens to the earth appeared before them.

The structure of this tower was nearly identical to the Blood God Tower Qin Feng had seen in the Forbidden Land of Blood—ninety-nine stories tall, its surface flowing with ancient and majestic golden runes, as if narrating the glorious epic of the human race rising from insignificance to conquer the cosmos.

A domineering, majestic, and unyielding will emanated from the tower, forcing anyone who gazed upon it to feel a sense of awe.

"This tower is called the 'Emperor Tower'," Master Sanruo introduced. "Its construction is exactly the same as the Blood God Tower; it is also a trial tower used to test one’s combat prowess. However, it lacks the miraculous function of the Blood God Tower that pauses the flow of time. The opponents on each level are simulated by the great masters of the Holy Academy based on the data of countless prodigies throughout history, making it extremely challenging."

"With your current strength, having stepped into the God-Forbidden domain and advanced even further, I believe you have a great chance of leaving your name on the ninety-ninth floor. Succeed, and you shall receive an incredibly generous reward."

Master Sanruo’s tone turned solemn. "However, this tower is exceptionally difficult. Since its construction, countless brilliant talents have come to challenge it, but to this day, the highest record remains at the ninety-eighth floor. No one has ever truly reached the summit."

Qin Feng’s gaze was instantly locked onto the Emperor Tower, and the blood in his veins seemed to accelerate.

His experience in the Blood God Tower was still fresh in his memory; it was the very place where he had stepped into the God-Forbidden realm and completed his ultimate transformation.

Although he had eventually topped the main stele, he had only reached the ninety-fourth floor.

Now, having forged the "Primordial Singularity," his strength was more than a hundred times greater than it had been then. He needed a precise coordinate to measure exactly what level he had reached within the "God-Forbidden" domain.

He did not know when he would see the Blood God Tower again, and this Emperor Tower was undoubtedly the best substitute.

To conquer the ninety-ninth floor, a feat no one had yet achieved—once this thought took root, a fierce will to fight surged within him.

"The reward for clearing the Emperor Tower, beyond tangible resources and treasures, is a supreme honor—enough to make your name resound throughout the entire human territory."

Master Sanruo added.

Qin Feng nodded heavily, engraving this in his heart.

The two did not linger long before the Emperor Tower and continued their journey.

Finally, Master Sanruo brought Qin Feng before a spectacle he would never forget for as long as he lived.

It was a "mountain" whose majesty defied description, floating silently among the stars, spanning hundreds of light-years in scale.

What composed this "mountain" was not rock, but countless jade slips emitting a warm, gentle luster. Each slip represented a piece of knowledge, and the accumulation of these countless slips formed this vast "Mountain of Books."

Beneath the Mountain of Books lay a boundless "Ocean," but the water was no ordinary liquid; it was composed of a "Divine Water" containing pure spiritual energy, shimmering in a dreamlike azure.

On the surface of the sea, countless more jade slips drifted with the currents, rising and falling, flickering with the light of wisdom.

The entire scene was elegant, profound, and soul-stirring, filled with the weight and beauty of knowledge.

"This is the final wonder of our Holy Academy—the 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning'."

Master Sanruo’s voice carried a hint of reverence. "If the Stele Forest of Enlightenment is a collection of 'Technique,' then this is the root of 'Reason'."

"The Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning houses countless books and knowledge spanning every discipline and field since the dawn of human civilization.

From the history of a planet’s ecological evolution to the preliminary deduction of cosmic laws; from basic spiritual energy studies and materials science to profound theories of space-time and soul structure—everything can be found here.

These are the 'foundational knowledge' for all secret arts and all legacies."

"The existence of this place is to teach everyone a single truth."

Master Sanruo said sternly, "A ten-thousand-foot tower rises from the ground. No matter how high your talent or how great your realm, when you wish to step into a new field, you must begin by learning from the most basic knowledge."

"Just as you, even as a God-Forbidden expert, if you wish to study blade techniques, you must start from the basic theories of first-level blade arts—the chops, the slashes, the lifts, and the thrusts."

"Of course, with your enlightenment, this process will be very fast, but it must never be skipped."

"I understand."

Qin Feng replied respectfully.

He knew the importance of foundations better than anyone.

His past "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system had turned everything into proficiency, starting from the most basic movements, step by step, which had led to his achievements today.

Now that he was to walk the path of the "Limit," he required a foundation that was incomparably solid and broad.

For him, the importance of this Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning was even greater than that of the Stele Forest of Enlightenment.

...

Under the guidance of Master Sanruo, Qin Feng embarked on a pilgrimage of sorts, catching his first glimpse of the grandeur and gravity that defined the headquarters of the Human Sacred Academy.

This vast continent, suspended in the heart of the cosmic sea, was itself a treasure beyond imagination, every inch of its soil saturated with primordial spiritual energy so dense that a single breath for an ordinary soul surpassed years of bitter cultivation elsewhere.

They did not linger before the dazzling halls of resource exchange, the pavilions of secret inheritances, or the workshops of master smiths.

For Qin Feng, these external objects—enough to drive ordinary Domain Lords to madness—had lost their decisive significance.

His path was one of inward exploration, of tempering his own being to its absolute limit, rather than relying on the sharpness of external tools.

"Very well, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, I have introduced you to most of the core areas of the Academy headquarters," Master Sanruo said, pausing with a gentle smile. "The Academy is the foundation of humanity in the Myriad Races Battlefield; beyond these sanctuaries for cultivation, its primary function is to nurture our new generation, providing a constant flow of fresh blood to the race."

He glanced toward a magnificent main hall in the distance, from which powerful auras surged into the sky, and continued: "I must now report to the main administration, so I shall leave you here."

"Please explore at your leisure, Fellow Daoist. With your subspace terminal, you may enter almost anywhere, for you see..."

Master Sanruo’s smile deepened with hidden meaning, "Your current clearance is very, very high."

Qin Feng understood that this "high" clearance was the recognition of his potential by the human leadership, an investment in his future path.

He bowed solemnly to Master Sanruo: "Many thanks for your guidance, Master."

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. We are both of the human race; it is only right that we help one another."

Master Sanruo accepted the gesture with grace, then flickered into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.

The two parted ways.

Qin Feng walked alone through this sacred ground of human martial arts.

He did not rush to any core sanctuary, choosing instead to wander the streets like an ordinary practitioner.

The interior of the Academy headquarters functioned like a well-ordered, self-contained super-metropolis.

There were branches of major merchant guilds offering rare treasures and divine weapons; residential districts lined with dwellings, each protected by powerful spirit-gathering arrays;

And countless martial arts halls and dojos where King-level experts would occasionally hold open lectures on the mysteries of cultivation, attracting thousands of listeners—all free of charge to those with Academy status.

The intense atmosphere of cultivation permeated every corner of the air.

Everyone here, regardless of their level, was striving to become stronger.

This pure, upward-striving environment made Qin Feng feel remarkably at ease.

He even felt that the cultivation environment here surpassed that of Holy Terra, the core of human territory.

The reason was simple: the internal territories of humanity had become too comfortable.

Long-term peace and prosperity, while signs of a strong race, acted like warm water, dulling the edge and bloodlust of the new generation of geniuses.

It had reached the point where the leadership had to tacitly allow, or even secretly "farm," followers of the Chaos Cult as death-row "whetstones," simply to provide a relatively safe training ground for those geniuses born with silver spoons.

But here, in the Myriad Races Battlefield and the Academy headquarters, everything was different.

This was the front line where humanity faced the turbulent waves of the cosmic sea, and every warrior who walked out of here would face the most brutal life-and-death struggles.

As Qin Feng walked, his state of mind became increasingly clear and firm.

After his exchange with the Heaven-Swallowing King, he had fully defined the path he would take.

"The path of the limit..."

He whispered to himself, his dark pupils reflecting the eternal, inextinguishable light of the Academy’s civilization.

This path had no predecessor, and there might be no successor.

It discarded all external objects, relying on no divine weapons or secret treasures; even martial techniques were merely "tools" to temper himself, not the ultimate "goal."

The sole core of this path was to treat his own body and soul as a piece of raw jade, the prototype of a divine weapon, using all knowledge as a carving knife and endless tempering as the fire, refining and breaking through to transcend his own limits.

"First, I must use knowledge of arrays, smithing, and pharmacology to comprehensively improve the microscopic strength and macroscopic resilience of my body and spirit."

Qin Feng’s thoughts were razor-sharp. "Then, I will integrate these three systems into a fundamental secret technique that belongs solely to me, designed for self-tempering."

"Each of these three disciplines alone could consume a master’s entire ten-thousand-year lifespan, and even then, they might not reach the inner sanctum."

Qin Feng could not help but sigh.

Smithing involved materials science, spiritual energy theory, runology, and structural mechanics—profound and complex.

Arrays required the arrangement and combination of the fundamental laws of the universe, where one move affected the whole, demanding extreme computational power and spatial imagination.

Pharmacology was the perfect fusion of life science and spiritual energy science; a hair’s breadth of error could result in a lethal poison.

To master all three and fuse them into an unprecedented technique was a feat of terrifying difficulty.

But his path was set.

No matter how hard, he would face it head-on.

Because he possessed the [Primordial Singularity], an unparalleled foundation, and "pure black quality" spiritual energy, giving him the capital to challenge this impossible road.

Qin Feng stopped and finally turned his gaze toward the towering mountain of knowledge—the Sea of Learning and Mountain of Books.

"Let us start with smithing."

He made his decision.

His philosophy was to treat his body and soul as a living, infinitely growing supreme treasure.

Thus, learning the art of smithing—the craft of "forging" treasures—was the perfect entry point.

He would use special smithing techniques to temper every cell, every inch of bone, and every thread of his soul, continuously raising the essential strength of his body and spirit.

Furthermore, he had a unique advantage.

In his inherited memories, the [Guluo Hammer] technique from the ancient King Guluo was itself a profound method of smithing.

With this ready-made inheritance already etched into his soul as a guide, his study of the smithing path would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

With his goal set, Qin Feng hesitated no longer and strode toward the Sea of Learning and Mountain of Books.

The entrance was a ten-thousand-foot-tall white jade archway, inscribed with the words "The Sea of Learning is Boundless" in divine script, the strokes powerful and imbued with a majestic aura that urged future generations to seek knowledge with humility.

Beneath the archway stood several warriors in standard-issue golden armor.

Their auras were deep as the sea, their gazes sharp as hawks, and the crest of the Academy’s Imperial Guard was branded onto their breastplates.

Each one was a genuine Domain Lord-level expert.

Only the Human Sacred Academy would have the audacity to use Domain Lords to guard the entrance of a library.

At this moment, a long line of warriors waited to enter.

They were dressed in various styles, but without exception, their auras were formidable; even the weakest were elites of the Black Hole level.

Qin Feng’s arrival caused no ripples in the crowd.

His cultivation had long since returned to simplicity; the [Primordial Singularity] perfectly contained all his aura within his body. Unless he exerted his power, he appeared as the most ordinary of mortals, and even a Marquis-level expert standing before him would not be able to discern his true depth.

He quietly took his place at the end of the line, observing the process ahead.

One by one, the warriors walked up to a massive machine under the archway and held their subspace terminals to the scanner.

The machine verified their clearance and deducted the corresponding contribution points.

"Zhou Yiruo, A-level clearance. Entering the Sea of Learning and Mountain of Books, cost: 11,000 contribution points per Imperial Day."

"Li Mu, A+ level clearance. Cost: 8,000 contribution points per Imperial Day."

"Feng Ping, S-rank clearance. Required contribution: one thousand points per Imperial day."

The cold, synthesized mechanical voice broadcasted each individual's status without a hint of emotion.

Whenever a high-clearance individual appeared, a low murmur of discussion would ripple through the queue.

Especially when that S-rank warrior emerged, almost every eye turned toward him, filled with awe and envy.

"S-rank clearance! To think it's an S-rank prodigy!"

"Hiss, only one thousand contribution points a day? That treatment is far too generous!"

"That’s Feng Ping, a ruthless contender from the top hundred of the last Hidden Dragon List. They say he’s already half a step into the God-Forbidden realm; S-rank clearance is only natural for him."

"I’m so envious. We A-rankers need ten thousand points a day. Don't let the unit price fool you; at our level, a single meditation session can last thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Accumulated, that’s a mountain of contribution points enough to make even a Domain Lord wince."

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Qin Feng understood.

This clearance level was directly tied to the cost of entering the Holy Land; the higher the level, the greater the discount, serving as a preferential allocation of resources for the gifted.

He stood quietly in line, splitting a sliver of his consciousness to delve into his subspace terminal, beginning to process his mountain of spoils.

From the Twin Rivers to the Path of Finality, and then to the Blood-Colored Forbidden Zone, he had carved a path of slaughter, felling countless prodigies of various races, Limit-level black holes, and even Domain Lords.

Their storage artifacts had all become his spoils of war.

Now, Qin Feng used the Imperial official trading platform to process these trophies in bulk.

Treasures that could incite bloodbaths in the outside world, precious cosmic warships, rare genetic serums, vast quantities of cosmic crystals—he listed everything on the exchange without a second thought, converting them into pure contribution points.

On his personal terminal interface, the number of contribution points began to soar at a dizzying, frantic speed.

Ten billion... a hundred billion... a trillion...

Soon, after processing the entire net worth of those five alien Domain Lords, along with their priceless Domain-level artifacts, his total contribution points finally settled on a terrifying figure: 23B.

1B represents one billion.

In other words, he now possessed two hundred and thirty billion contribution points.

This wealth was enough to purchase half a cosmic nation.

With this done, Qin Feng’s consciousness returned to reality, his face remaining as still as an ancient well. Money and resources were merely stepping stones to pave his path, not capital worth boasting about.

At this moment, it was finally his turn.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Qin Feng walked calmly to the massive verification machine and extended his subspace terminal.

A soft beam of light shot from the machine, enveloping his device.

After a brief silence, the cold, emotionless mechanical voice echoed throughout the entrance plaza.

"Identity verification... Beep."

"Qin Feng. Clearance level: SSS."

"Entry into the Sea of Books and Mountains, required contribution: 0 points per Imperial day."

As these words fell, the entire world seemed to hit a pause button.

The previously noisy discussions, gasps, and envious murmurs ceased instantly.

The plaza fell into a deathly silence. The hundreds of prodigies in line stood as if petrified, their faces frozen in disbelief, mouths slightly agape, unable to utter a sound.

Even the Holy Academy’s Imperial Guards, who had remained expressionless and steady as mountains, suddenly whipped their heads around. Beneath their golden helmets, two gazes mixed with extreme shock and horror locked firmly onto Qin Feng.

The silence lasted only a single second.

The next moment, like a nuclear bomb dropped on a calm lake, the entire plaza exploded!

"Zero... zero contribution points a day?!"

"Did I hear that right? Clearance level... SSS?! There is an SSS above S?!"

"Qin Feng... that name, it’s so familiar... I remember! It’s the God of Slaughter! The one who topped the Hidden Dragon List, the God of Slaughter who slew five Domain Lords while still at the Black Hole level!"

"Heavens! It’s actually him!"

"A living legend! I’ve actually seen a living legend!"

"SSS-rank clearance! This must be the highest clearance in the entire human race! I heard that even the top prodigies of the God-Forbidden realm are 'only' SS-rank!"

The discussions, gasps, and exclamations rose like a tidal wave, one after another.

Countless eyes converged on the tall, calm, black-haired youth, filled with reverence, worship, and even fanaticism.

The name "God of Slaughter" had long since spread across the universe with the updates of the Hidden Dragon List.

With the body of a Black Hole-level warrior, he had instantly slaughtered five genuine Domain Lord-level powerhouses. Such a glorious, near-mythical achievement had long made him the sole idol and target for every member of the new generation of humanity.

Facing a scene that would make any young man’s heart race with vanity, Qin Feng’s expression did not change in the slightest.

His temperament had long been tempered through countless brushes with life and death, forged as hard as divine iron and as unyielding as diamond.

The praise or slander of the outside world could no longer stir a ripple in his heart.

He gave a slight nod to the Imperial Guards who were clearly paying him special attention, a gesture of greeting, and then, surrounded by countless gazes, stepped through the white jade archway and directly into the heart of the Sea of Books and Mountains.

Not until his back disappeared behind the light gate did the fervor in the plaza gradually subside, though the shock on everyone’s faces lingered long after.

...

Passing through the light gate, space shifted.

When Qin Feng set foot on solid ground again, he was utterly stunned by the scene before him.

Experiencing the Sea of Books and Mountains up close was a vastly different sensation than viewing it from afar.

If viewing it from a distance was a shock at the grandeur of its "form," then being immersed within it was to be overwhelmed by the vastness of its "spirit."

He stood in an infinite void, beneath his feet a slowly flowing river of knowledge, gathered from countless golden characters.

Looking up, he saw towering mountain ranges composed of stacked jade slips and ancient scrolls, reaching into the clouds, endless and vast.

Further away lay a brilliant sea of stars made of glowing characters and runes, each "star" representing a complete discipline or heritage.

Here, knowledge was no longer an ethereal concept, but a tangible, reachable reality.

For the first time, Qin Feng understood the phrase "ocean of knowledge" with such profound and concrete clarity.

He felt a sense of insignificance.

A feeling originating from the depths of his soul, the smallness of an individual life facing the crystallized wisdom of an entire civilization.

Ever since he ascended to the Planetary level and his life form evolved, he had rarely felt small in the face of ordinary mountains or oceans.

With one punch, he could shatter peaks; with one palm, he could boil the seas.

But now, in this infinite temple of knowledge, he felt his own insignificance once more, and more deeply than ever before.

Yet this did not discourage him; instead, it ignited an even stronger desire for knowledge and conquest.

Qin Feng steadied his mind and looked around.

He discovered that in this vast space, many beings were sitting cross-legged in various corners. Some sat at the foot of the "mountains," some hovered above the "sea," and others stood silently among the "stars."

Without exception, each had one or more glowing jade slips floating before them, fully immersed in the absorption of knowledge, oblivious to the outside world.

Qin Feng followed suit, found a vacant corner of the void, and sat down cross-legged.

A sudden thought stirred within him, and a soft, luminous screen unfurled before his eyes.

This was the index system of the Mountain of Books and the Sea of Learning.

Upon the screen lay a classification so intricate it made one’s scalp prickle with dread.

[Foundational Disciplines: Mathematics, Psionics, Psychology, Psionic-Psychic Convergence Theory, Higher-Dimensional Spatial Studies, Convergence Field Theory, Convergence Runology...]

[Applied Disciplines: Alchemy, Array Formation, Artifact Refining, Lethal Arts, Cultivation Methods, Refining Techniques, Augmentation Secret Arts...]

[Elemental Disciplines: Fire, Water, Metal, Wind, Lightning, Spacetime...]

[Material Sciences: Compendium of Cosmic Alloys, Atlas of Rare Flora and Fauna, Handbook on the Utilization of Star-Beast Remains...]

[Civilization History: Chronicles of Humanity, Encyclopedia of Ten Thousand Races, Secrets of the Cosmic Sea...]

...

(End of Chapter)